This is going to be big! Teplice fans have already sent four buses, one of them double-decker, to Prague’s Eden for Sunday’s match with Slavia. And apparently it’s not the final number. “We are very happy about it and we are pleasantly surprised,” praises the supporter of the back rows Jan Knapík, a supporter of the undefeated glass players in the spring. “It will be the trip of the decade,” smiles FK Teplice spokesman Martin Kovařík.
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Gone are the days when only the chairman of the fan club and his family went on away league trips, currently there is less fan euphoria in the spa town, which is beginning to manifest itself primarily in the growth of the “cauldron”, i.e. a group of active fans. During home matches, they gather in the south stand behind the goal , their support is crucial for Teplice footballers. They can also be heard outside, for example recently in Pardubice they created an almost home environment for the “yellow and blue”.
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“We are very happy about it. It is known that fan support has an increasing tendency. The match at Slavia will probably be the culmination of that euphoria. We see this as a temporary success that is the result of our mutual cooperation. It is also thanks to our supporters that we perform the performances we perform,” says Teplice coach Zdenko Frťala.
A group of fans called the Tepličáci report four full buses, the fifth is currently being filled. The price of the trip? 200 crowns + ticket. We will leave Stínadel shortly after twelve o’clock, the match starts at 3 o’clock. “We will definitely feel this support, the fans will hear it. We are really looking forward to it, we will want to achieve the best possible result for them,” says Knapík.
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Coach Frťala remembers from his playing career that Teplice often had a home environment even in foreign stadiums. “Maybe in that silver season 25 years ago. It was great. The player feels that much more responsibility. There is no one who does not perceive fans. Slavia also has great fans, and even if our fans are in the minority, they will definitely help us a lot.”
According to Martin Kovařík, the sector for Teplice supporters could be full to the brim on Sunday. “At Slavia, the capacity is around a thousand. I believe it will be full! The last time there was such interest was in 2009, when we played in the cup final with Slovácko in Prague in Strahov. Then a lot of people went to Sparta in the fall of 2013, but then there were only three buses of fans.”
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Teplice will have to do without Labík, Hronko and Fila in Eden, i.e. players who belong to Slavia and are visiting Stínadly. On the contrary, they can count on Chaloupek, who will leave for the Prague team after the season, and Kričfaluš, who transferred from Slavia in the winter. “We were already identified with this fact during the agreement with Slavia on hosting. We were preparing for it. We are glad that no other players were carded, several of them were under the threat of a fourth yellow. I believe that even the players who were not currently part of the starting line-up will fight for a place and make Slavia as uncomfortable as possible,” comments Frťala about his team’s prospects for Sunday’s slalom.
